Stamford, Jan. 12, 2010. Samantha Smith, 14, and Chris Dawson, 14, 8th graders at the Junior House of Stanwich School watch a robot move around during the class about robots, developed by science teacher Shaun Fletcher. less

Stamford, Jan. 12, 2010. Samantha Smith, 14, and Chris Dawson, 14, 8th graders at the Junior House of Stanwich School watch a robot move around during the class about robots, developed by science teacher Shaun ... more

Stamford, Jan. 11, 2010. Stanwich Junior House science teacher Shaun Fletcher teaching his class about robots. The eight graders were using five remote robots in their classroom, controlled by wireless laptop computers, each customized to serve different purposes. less

Stamford, Jan. 11, 2010. Stanwich Junior House science teacher Shaun Fletcher teaching his class about robots. The eight graders were using five remote robots in their classroom, controlled by wireless laptop ... more

Looking into a computer screen, 14-year-old Chris Dawson watched as dozens of little red dots moved across a display grid the closer one of his classmates moved toward the sonar-equipped robot nearby.

That's when the concept of sonar technology clicked for Stanwich School student -- the robot was converting rebounded sound waves that it transmitted into a signal appearing as an image on his screen.

"That's really awesome," he exclaimed. "I never really understood how (sonar) worked, and now I do."

This month, Stanwich School eighth-graders are using five robots, controlled remotely via a wireless connection to a computer, to learn math and physics concepts and their real-world applications, like sound, navigation and ranging. Each equipped with a mounted sonar device, the shoebox-size robots are customized to serve different purposes, from wheeling objects from one place to the next, to serving as mobile surveillance cameras.

Teacher Shaun Fletcher incorporated the robots into his eighth-grade science class to help bring the lessons to life. Learning concepts like speed and velocity from a textbook can be "pretty dry and boring," he said. "But when students get to use robots, it becomes fun. We find, if students are having fun they tend to learn better."

Fletcher is no stranger to robotics. Trained as an engineer, he specialized in the field before becoming a teacher. But using wireless, remote models like the ones at Stanwich is relatively new territory even for him, he said.

Each robot is named after one of Stanwich's "houses," partly based on how advanced its features are.

For instance, the most advanced robot, "Senior," has a full-range-of-motion arm that can grab, move and re-place objects with a higher degree of precision than "Junior," which comes equipped with a more crude "gripper" device similar to the real-life mechanisms used for removing bombs or hazardous materials.

"Intermediate" and "Primary" robots, meanwhile, have cameras and microphones that beam wireless video and audio signals to a computer from three classrooms away, Fletcher said. And the least advanced robot, "K-G," for the kindergarten-level grades, simply scoots around on two wheels, like a remote control car.

The entire five-robot set cost the school about $35,000.

It's a worthwhile investment to eighth-grader Samantha Smith, 14, who said using the robots illuminates math and physics concepts in a way that a textbook and classroom discussions cannot. That, and it's just plain fun.

"It's really hands-on," she said. "It helps me understand."

Staff Writer Colin Gustafson can be reached at colin.gustafson@scni.com or 203-625-4428.